Sunday, 23 October 2011

Chapter 7: Mistakes...

The days passed, and Scorpius' eye slowly returned to normally, getting less purple/red by the day. His feat against the 3rd years was soon forgotten, as the talk of the school turned to the upcoming celebration day, in remembrance of the Battle of Hogwarts, to which many ex-students and parents would make the journey to the school to celebrate. Scorpius planned to ask Rose to the dance, held in the evening, after the adults had gone, however he wasn't sure how. "Just..write her one of your letters or something.." Al advised him over dessert one evening, ladling neopolitan ice-cream into his mouth. 'Isn't that a little...corny?' Albus shrugged, stealing a profiterole off of his plate. 'Just ask her then, I'm going to ask Tilly, right to her face.' He was talking about Tilly Abbott, a mousy Hufflepuff girl, with limp blonde-brown hair, but beautiful sea-green eyes. Whilst Scorpius was busy trying to think of how to ask Rose to the dance, Rose was getting more invites every day. Of course all of the boys wanted to go with her, she's Ron & Hermione Weasley's daughter, Harry Potter's niece! She didn't reply to any of them yet though, she was still holding out for one certain guy to ask her.
'Look, I'll show you, wait there. Watch and learn.' Al strutted out into the open corridor, towards the gang of giggly girls, in which Tilly & Rose were stood. Scorpius waited by the door to the Great Hall, watching. 'Hey Tilly, can I talk to you a minute?' Al was good with the girls, Scorpius couldn't deny that. He took Tilly to the side, and whispered in her ear, causing her to giggle and nod. He strutted back to the door, looking proud. 'Your turn,' he grinned. Scorpius took a deep breath, and started over towards the group, to be pushed to the side by that bloody Hufflepuff, Jed Smith. 'Step aside, Malfoy.' He sneered, walking confidently over to the group. He took Rose over to the side. She hadn't noticed Scorpius. He whispered something in her ear, but Scorpius couldn't see her face. He walked off, head hung low. Of course she'd pick Jed, he's way cooler, smoother, better looking, and his family aren't evil. He looked back, before going through the heavy wooden doors. His dark hair was tickling her face now, he was so close, and his arm was round her shoulder. Scorpius had lost. Jed got the girl. End of.
'Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, there are other girls. Why not ask Nymph?' Albus was talking about Nymphadora Lovegood, their Professor of Divination, other than Firenze, Luna's daughter. She had cropped short hair, with rainbow streaks, and big, purple eyes. She was named after Al's cousin Teddy's mother. 'She is pretty..but I don't know her that well...' 'So? Now's your chance! Forget Rose, she's gross anyway, Nymph is something special, and I hear she's not been asked yet!' Scorpius sat down with a sigh, looking towards Nymph, at the Ravenclaw table. She was beautiful, and smiley, and sweet. He got up, gulped, and walked over to her. 'Uhhh...Hey, Nymphadora?' 'Oh hey there, Scorpius, right? It's just Nymph, by the way.' She grinned, her smile bright. 'Haha, ok, I was just wondering if, uh, you, uh, you wanted to go the d-dance with me?' He saw Rose & Jed walk in. 'Sure, I'll go to the d-dance with you.' She winked. He didn't see Rose look at him, disappointed, turn to Jed and nod. They were going to the dance with different people now.
'Dad, Dad!!' Al shrieked, running to greet his father at the platform, followed by a gang of gawping first-years, including Scorpius. Rose followed him swiftly, hugging her mother and father, then her uncle and aunt. Al grabbed Scorpius and dragged him forward. His mother had written to inform him that neither of them would be able to attend that morning, over breakfast. 'Dad, this is Scorpius, uh, Malfoy.. He's cool though, he's not like his Dad.' Harry chuckled. 'Nice to meet you properly, Scorpius, I apologise for leaving you to put up with Al.' He winked, his green eyes glittering. Rose's father, Ron wasn't so welcoming, and settled with what seemed to be an attempt at an evil glare, although he just looked like the sun was in his eyes. His brother, George, who had also come for the festivities, was also quite cold with him, however Hermione, Rose's mudblood mother was kind, and invited him to walk with them.
'Minerva!' The women of the group hurried up to their old headmistress, and greeted her with a warm hug. 'Miss us?' Ronald winked at her flirtatiously. 'Well, it's certainly been less exciting without you four around, luckily your children haven't picked up on your tricks!' Albus sniggered 'That she knows of, thanks to Grandad James' grinning happily. Him and Scorpius recently tested out the invisibility cloak and map, given to Al by his father, by stealing chocolate cake from the kitchen. 'Hey, look who it is!' 'Hi there, have you seen my wrackspurt syphon anywhere?' 'Neville, Luna, how are you both! They aren't driving you up the wall are they?' Hermione grabbed them both in a tight hug. 'Haha, not yet!' They both said at the same time, blushing and giggling. 'Lee! How are you mate, it's been a while!' George walked over to his old friend, now with his hair in tight, greying braids. 'Not bad mate, just here to show my respects, to y'know, Fred. How's the shop going, Josh bought some stuff from you the other day, I heard all about how your Nosebleed Nougat is fantastic, as usual!' They hugged and walked over to the lake together, where a simple memorial, of 2 crossed wands, was standing, as it had been for the past 20 years, in between the graves of the visitors' two headmasters.
'You are now all welcome to make your way up to the Great Hall, where lunch will be provided for everyone, our resident house-elves have been working all morning to make it special. After this, you are welcome to tour the school and grounds, or take your family members out to Hogsmeade, provided they are back in plenty of time for the dance this evening.' Professor McGonagall didn't even need voice-amplification spells to make herself heard. Harry and George decided to stay behind, and, to his surprise, Harry asked Scorpius to join him.
They walked a little while, stopping at the black marble grave, Scorpius knew to be the grave of his father's favourite teacher, Severus Snape. George stayed at the memorial, sitting at the foot, talking to himself, to Scorpius, but Harry knew he was talking to Fred, as he often did when he was with family.
'He was a great man, Professor Snape. Only, I didn't know it. No one did. Except Albus Dumbledore, of course. I brought you here, because I think you need to know his story, I saw a look in your eyes, when you saw Hermione, that I recognise as one Snape often gave me.' Harry pulled a single white lily out of his coat pocket, and placed it on the grave. 'From the minute he laid eyes on her, Severus Snape was in love with my mother, Lily. He in turn watched her fall in love with my father, as he tried to please his family, instead of doing what he wanted. Of course, he got into Slytherin, and acted like the rest of his family, proud, sour, and solitary. This didn't stop her from being his friend, until one day, a slip of the tongue changed everything. She fell in love with James, got married, had me, and, well, you know the rest. He loved her for her whole life, and never told her, but eleven years after he death, he saw my eyes, exactly like hers, and gave me the look you gave 'Mione. I don't want you to make his mistake. If you like Rose, make sure to tell her, she won't mind, we've been hearing all about how she "can't believe she said yes to "Jed the Jerk", and that you didn't even ask her?"' 'but.. she said yes to him before I got the chance to ask, then Al told me to-' Harry chuckled 'Don't listen to anything my Al says, his intentions are good, but, well, he's one Snitch short of a quidditch match, if you get what I mean! Just ask her to dance tonight, see what happens. Now come on, I'm starving, we best get up there before Ron and Al eat the whole hall!'